Just a Matter of Time
by AliceCullenForever101
Summary: Shelby decides to take Rachel up on her offer to teach at McKinely. Shell, one-sided Wemma, Finchel, Shelby/Rachel
1. Chapter 1

**A/N-Heyy guys! Ok this is my attempt to write a Shell but there will be a Rachel/Shelby relationship too. Set after Regionals and Shelby didn't adopt Beth but Quinn and Puck still gave her away.**

**Enjoy!**

Shelby Corcoran walked down the empty halls of McKinely High School, heels leaving quiet sounds behind her. She is nervous and because of that she is even more anxious to get this over with. Shelby Corcoran does not get nervous. She has decided to take Rachel up on her offer to teach there; to teach her. While Shelby walks into Principal Figgens office, she realizes she probably should have talked to Will about glee.

"Hello Miss. Corcoran. I was surprised to hear from you. I thought you were happy at Carmel High," Figgens asked but he still seemed excited that she would be there.

"I was but I decided I didn't want to be with Vocal Adrenaline anymore and I wanted something less stress related."

"Great. Well you have the right requirements and we have your position open so I believe that it will not be a problem. You will be the new junior AP English teacher."

"Thank you, but what about glee?" Shelby asked a little nervously because she didn't want to upset Will or any of the Glee kids for that matter.

"Would you like to direct glee?" Figgens sounded unsure, after all Shelby did leave the most successful glee club in the nation.

"Not direct. Co-direct with Mr. Schuester. I think things would be better that way for all of us." Shelby said a little harshly.

"Well I'm sure William won't have a problem with this. So as of now you are the co-director for the glee club." Figgens stated.

"Thank you. So I guess I'll be here tomorrow at 8:00?"Shelby said.

"Yes tomorrow is fine. If you need anything let me know." Figgens said with a sound of finality; the conversation was over.

As Shelby walked through the doors of McKinely and towards her car, she smiled. _This will be a nice change_, she thought. The only thing that had her worried was tomorrow. Tomorrow she starts her job as the junior AP English teacher. Isn't Rachel in AP English? Plus there is having to tell Will that half of his authority of the glee club is being taken by Shelby. The woman who beat them at Regionals. The woman who made out with Will that one time even though he had a girlfriend and a wife, though she didn't find out till afterwards. The woman who left Rachel standing beside a piano, even though in Rachel's eyes she still saw hope.

Tomorrow is going to be fun.

**A/N-Let me know what y'all think and if I should continue or not**** Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N-Thank you guys so much for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. They mean the world to me. Here is the second chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

_Ring, Ring, Ring_

Shelby awoke to the sound of her alarm clock going off. It was 6:00 and this is was one of the oh-so-amazing perks that she signed up for. After a quick shower and changing into her work clothes, she headed downstairs to fix up some breakfast, though she is not much of a cook due to late VA practices. Finding some suitable cereal and milk, she sat down and thought about how the day would unfold. To be honest, she was scared as hell. She didn't know what to say to Rachel when she saw her, after all Shelby did leave her-twice.

Finishing up, she noticed that it was 7:30 and that it was time to face the inevitable. Even though she worked at Carmel, she lived in the McKinely district so the drive was easy and fast. It was only 7:45 by the time she arrived and school started at 8:45, so she went to set up her new classroom and having already gone over the lesson plan for the day last night, she found herself bored with nothing to do.

Shelby decided to go meet Will and let them know of the changes that were about to shake the glee club to it's core. After studying McKinely's map the nigh before, Shelby felt like she knew the high school by heart; it had already grown on her. So she easily began her way to the choir room, catching a few stares as she walked past a few teachers and students as well. As she pulled up to the choir door, she saw Will hunched over some new sheet music. He looked so cute, innocent like when she first met him. Unable to wait any longer, she went in.

"Will?" Shelby asked a little hesitantly.

Will turned at the sound of his name. He saw a woman he hadn't thought he would see again. She truly was beautiful, naturally so. "Shelby Corcoran. To what do I owe this pleasure," he said with a smile on his face.

Shelby smiled in return and walked closer to him. "I work here now. I'm the new AP English teacher for the juniors."

"Oh really? What about Vocal Adrenaline?" Will asked sounding really surprised. She had left the most renowned glee club in the nation?

"I realized that I needed to relax a bit and take a little break from the stress that comes with VA. However, I do need to talk to you about glee club." Shelby stated gaining confidence with each word.

"Really? What is it?" Will said, sounding unsure.

"I spoke to Figgens yesterday. We are now co-directors over New Directions. I know this is sudden but I believe we can work great together and maybe, we can take these kids to Nationals." Shelby stated matter of factly.

"Oh. Great yeah this will be great," Will said, unsure of how to react due to his authority over glee being split in two. I mean look at what happened with Sue. Though Will couldn't help but think that Shelby wasn't Sue. No, Shelby was beautiful inside and out even though most people don't see that side of her.

"Great!" Shelby was surprised at his reaction. After all if someone tried to take half of VA from her, she would all but tear them to shreds.

"Listen, I was about to head to the teacher's lounge to get some coffee. Do you want to come with me?"

"Yeah let's go. I need my coffee." She smiled.

As they walked down the now crowded hall ways, they talked about their summers and what they did. They talked about Will's divorce and Shelby's decision to leave VA and Carmel. Will was updating Shelby on Rachel and on what to expect from glee club when they finally arrived at the teacher's lounge. They each got a cup, filled it and added their own condiments to it. When they were both finished and satisfied with their coffee, they turned and looked for a place to sit. The only table open for both of them, was one occupied by a certain red-headed counselor. Emma looked up in time to see Will and a certain brunette making their way towards the table. Whoever this woman was, she was certainly beautiful and Will seemed to like her. This was unsettling for Emma because even though she was with Carl, she loved Will.

As Will and the brunette took a seat, Will looked at her sending shivers down her spine and said, "Hey Emma. This is Shelby Corcoran. She teaches here now as an English teacher and she is going to co-direct New Directions."

While Will and Shelby smiled at eachother, Emma's heart sank. So this woman is the one he cheated on her with?

"Nice to meet you, Emma." Shelby said, smiling.

Emma put on a fake smile and said, "You too. I've heard great things about you. So how long have you known Will?" Emma was going to take things easy for awhile and hide her misery.

Will's face fell. He knew that when Emma met Shelby, there was going to be tension. _Poor Shelby doesn't understand. I'm going to need to explain this to her later_, Will thought.

Shelby answered a little confused, "Um. I think a few months give or take."

Will smiled reassuringly to Shelby and regretfully to Emma. Not long after, Emma excused herself to her office. As soon as she arrived, she broke down into tears. This Shelby woman could just take the man of her dreams. _You're with Carl. You're with_ _Carl_, Emma repeated to herself over and over again.

Soon after Emma left, Will and Shelby got up from their tables and rinsed their cups. As they came to the entrance, Will wished Shelby a great first day and told her that he couldn't wait to see her in glee. Shelby smiled and they went separate ways.

Shelby, now, could barely walk down the halls for they were flooded with students. Arriving at her door, she heard a meek little voice say, "Shelby?"

Shelby didn't need to turn around to know who had called her. It was the girl that she gave up 16 years ago. The girl that shared half of her gene pool and that resembled her so much, whether it be physically or emotionally. The girl that she walked away from, again, after a brief reunion and a shared song.

"Hello Rachel."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N-Here is Chapter 3. I don't know how I feel about this chapter yet but I'm going to put it up anyway. Let me know what you think!**

**Enjoy!**

Shelby gave a slight smile and walked closer to Rachel.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked. After all, Shelby said no to teach at McKinely and to teach her.

"I decided that you were right. So, I work here now as the new AP English teacher." Shelby did not like this situation. She knew that she would have to see Rachel but she was hoping it wouldn't be until glee and she could have time to go over what she would say; last night was just not enough time.

Rachel was just very confused. Why now when at Regionals Shelby was hell-bent on staying away from her?

"Oh," was all Rachel could seem to make out. Surprised was an understatement. The bell rang freeing them of any awkward silence that would surely follow.

"Well I guess I'll see you around then." Rachel said and Shelby could almost detect the sound of hope in her voice.

"Yeah. I'll see you in glee" Shelby smiled. This reunion went so much better then all of the different scenarios that played through her head.

"Glee?" Rachel questioned. Was Shelby going to consult them?

Shelby smile got even wider, "I'm the new co-director, Rachel."

Rachel looked taken back and Shelby couldn't help but think that she thought too soon.  
"Oh. Ok I guess I'll see you then"

The second bell, which signaled the start of first period, rang and Rachel couldn't help but almost sprint. She had a, after all, perfect attendance record which now would be tainted.

After their little confrontation, Rachel went to first period, where she thankfully sat next to her boyfriend, Finn. Arriving late was a first for Rachel, a fact that anyone would take notice upon whether you liked her or not, she was noticeable. Sitting in her seat, Finn gave her a confused, worried look and Rachel replied with a shake of the head. He would find out soon enough.

Rachel had a million questions running through her head all day, through all her classes (no work was really accomplished). Why did Shelby come? What happened to Vocal Adrenaline? Was Shelby ready for a relationship with her daughter? That question seemed to be the one that sticked with her, the one that worried her. What if Shelby's recent transfer had nothing to do with Rachel? What if she still wasn't interested in Rachel?

Shelby, much like Rachel, thought about their interaction all day, though she was better at hiding it. After all she was a teacher and she needed to do her job. Was Shelby doing the right thing in trying to form a relationship with her daughter after all that ensued? She wasn't sure and Shelby Corcoran does not like being unsure of herself.

First period came and went and the same with second period, but third period kind of threw both Shelby and Rachel. Rachel, on top of being Shelby's daughter, was now her student as well. _Funnnn_, was all Rachel thought. Who wants their parent as their teacher? But Shelby wasn't really her mom so maybe this could work.

After an awkward silence, Shelby introduced herself and began promptly on their lesson and their assignments. While Rachel worked, she would steal glances at Shelby. If concentration was the key, then she sure as hell couldn't find it.

Shelby, all period, tried to find something to take her mind away. Away from the petite brunette sitting in the first row. But she couldn't help it. Rachel was so beautiful and Shelby's heart swelled with pride but as quickly as that feeling appeared it left. She hadn't made Rachel beautiful. Outside she may have resembled Shelby, but on the inside she was her fathers. Shelby dwelled on that fact the rest of class. Too soon the bell rang and everyone was off to fourth period. With a quick nod and smile, Rachel was out the door.

Both women were really unsettled the rest of the day, unsure of what this would do to their relationship. Their non-existent relationship. However, they both knew that they would have to see each other in glee and they might as well try to work through it and come out on top.

School ended at 4:00 and glee club started at 4:30 today. Normally it would start at 4:15, but due to it being the first day of school, both Shelby and Will knew that the kids would want to be with their friends for a bit.

Shelby was still sitting at her desk at 4:10 when Will decided to come see her and ask her about her first day. He understood that Shelby was in the best of circumstances right now but he hoped that she would pull through and maybe he could help her. For awhile, Will just stared through her window feeling guilty. He knew that what he did to Emma was wrong but he couldn't help but feel a little happy that the woman that he shared a make out session with was here. Shelby was here and Will wasn't sure he ever wanted to give her back. _But she was never yours_, he thought and with that he knocked on her door and went in.

Shelby looked up to see Will walking through her door smiling and couldn't help but wonder if she was the reason for the smile. _Of course not. Don't be stupid,_ she thought, he still may be with that girlfriend of his.

"So are you ready for glee" Will said as he approached her desk.

"Yes, but I'm a little nervous." _Oh my gosh. Did he really need to know that?_

"Oh you'll be fine, believe me," Will said smiling. He just couldn't help but be happy when he was around her.

She smiled and found herself doing just that. She gathered her belongings and began walking with Will to the choir room.

"So I spoke with Rachel today." Shelby said, unsure of why she was telling him all of this. She knew, though, that he would listen. He always had.

"Oh really? How did that go?" Will would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about Rachel's reaction to all of this. He knew that their may be some problems and he felt sorry for Shelby. She had tried to do what was best, even with some misguided means.

Shelby shrugged and said, "We will see. I think it went better then what I had initially thought, but I don't know. It seems Rachel has developed her own poker face."

Will couldn't help but think of how right she was. Ever since their goodbye, Rachel wasn't that open with her feelings. To the other glee kids it was a blessing, but it had Will worried. Rachel wasn't one to hide her feelings. Even though Shelby was beautiful, she had walls covering her heart from pain and disappointment. He didn't want to see Rachel have that. Hell he didn't want Shelby to have it and to his surprise, he kind of wanted to be the one to tear down those walls and make them disappear.

It was 4:20 when they arrived at the choir room and not a soul was in sight. They both laughed and joked on the fact of tardiness in this generation. Shelby excused herself to the bathroom and tidied up her hair and make up.

It was now 4:35 when she arrived, again, to the choir room. When she opened that door she saw that everyone was there and they obviously saw her as well. Absolute silence followed and Shelby didn't know what to say. Thankfully she was saved by Rachel.

"You all remember my mother, Shelby Corcoran. She is the new co-director of the glee club."

…silence…

**A/N-So I know that you are not allowed to have your parents as your teacher but there are special circumstances. Like your parent is the only one that teaches that course or Shelby might not have put the fact that Rachel is her daughter on her transcripts because Rachel is not hers legally. Just thought I should clear that up** **Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N-Heyy guys! Sorry it has taken me this long to post this but I hope you all enjoy it, though I don't really like the beginning of this chapter at all. Hope you all had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year!**

**Disclaimer-I do not own anything, if I did there would be Shell and Shelby/Rachel would not have ended like it did**

**Enjoy!**

The first thing that was said was a group of angry, confused questions. Kurt's "Why are you here?" was followed by Mercedes's "What about Vocal Adrenaline?" and Finn's proclamation of "Mr. Schue you can't be serious. She could be trying to destroy us after all it didn't work with St. Jackass." Brittany only replied with "I thought she was with Mr. Shue's son?"

Shelby looked at Will confusingly. _? Will's son? _This day just keeps getting better and better. During this whole debacle, Shelby took notice of the glares sent Rachel's way and decided that it was finally time to clear thing up.

"Are you finished now?" no answer "Good. Now Kurt, I decided to switch schools because I was stressed from VA and I wanted to help all of you. Plus, I would like to get to know my daughter." Rachel's head shot up (she had been looking down the entire time trying to avoid angry sets of eyes that she was sure had been there). _So she does want to know me,_ Rachel realized, sending a small smile toward Shelby.

"Mercedes, VA will be given a new coach and they will go on, as will we. Finn, I know that my presence is unsettling for you. You are only trying to look after Rachel, but I wouldn't betray you guys. I'm sorry about Jesse, I am but we are a team now. We need to start acting like it. I don't want anymore people degrading anyone. I don't need people to be criticizing others, in life or their ability to sing." Shelby knew about these so called slushies. She knew who received them and who was the one behind the cup, holding it. Shelby also knew of Rachel's over-critical analysis and her dramatic ways. Though Shelby was (_is_) dramatic, a trait obviously Rachel inherited, she was going to have to help Rachel by showing her that there was now someone in charge that understood how things are supposed to get done.

After Shelby's little talk, everyone was stunned, some more than others. Rachel's mind kept going back to _I would like to get to know my daughter. _Kurt and Mercedes pretty much were bumming because since Rachel was Shelby's daughter, she would get all the solos. However, they were excited too because they felt that Shelby could really help them, in ways Mr. Shue could not.

The first words said were from Puck, "Hey at least that means we have a total MILF around all the time to help with our needs! This is gonna be hot!"

"Shut it Puckerman!" Rachel answered. Who did think he was talking about her mother like that? Shelby merely smirked. She was used to this due to the boys on VA, but she also realized that however flattering it was, it was not acceptable.

"Sorry Puck, there will be no assisting your _needs_ from me or anyone else that share half my gene pool, understand?" Puck saw that she was dead serious. He was not allowed to go near Rachel at all. He wondered how she would feel had she known about him and Rachel or Jesse and Rachel for that matter. He saluted her and said, "Yes ma'am!"

Shelby smirked, she had after all gotten her point across not just to Puck but to the rest of the glee club, _mess with Rachel then you mess with me._ Rachel had, however, looked absolutely stunned. _So what? No boy is to go near me but you can screw me up?_ Rachel thought. As if to prove to Shelby that she is not a child, that she can't be bossed around, Rachel kissed Finn. Hard. She felt everyone's eyes on them but that just added more gasoline to the fire. The kiss started to heat up a bit and that's when Rachel ended things, she may be trying to prove a point but there were some things she didn't want the glee club to see much less her mother and her teacher.

Shelby was…she couldn't even think of a word to describe how she felt. Anger and surprised and confused were all to plain to fully describe how she felt in that moment. When Rachel was finished with whatever-it-was, she sent Shelby a smirk. Shelby decided discipline was going to be the best way to sort this out.

"What do you think you're doing? That was completely unacceptable! Do you want me to call your fathers?"Shelby felt her fury rush through her and toward Rachel. As Shelby's fury rushed out, Rachel must have absorbed it, because her next words were not the kindest.

"You wouldn't call my dads! You're still too scared to confront them because you know they can take legal action against you for contacting me before I am 18. Who do you think you are? You already told me that you didn't want to be in my life and now you come here and pull this! _Just because I'm your mother doesn't mean I'm your mom_. Do you remember that? You said that to me when you decided to leave! The second time I've had you walk away from me! Do you know that how that made me feel? Do you even care?" Rachel now had tears streaming down her eyes and Shelby looked like she wasn't too far off either. Shelby knew that Rachel said these things in rage but that didn't make them hurt any less. In fact it may have hurt more because Shelby knew that Rachel had felt this way all along but she had decided to hide everything away.

Like a true diva, Rachel sprinted out the door and Shelby followed. "Rachel? Rachel! RACHEL!" but it was no use. Rachel was too mad, not to mention fast, to really register someone calling her. No one had ever chased after her when she was upset. Rachel ran out towards her car, got in and cried. Cried because she wasn't sure what the hell Shelby wanted and cried because she wasn't sure what she wanted from Shelby.

Shelby, however, was rooted to her spot. She felt like she had been there for ages, when in reality it had been only seconds, when Will came out to comfort her. She turned and pressed her head to his shoulder and he held her, like there would be no tomorrow. They stayed like that way for a while until Shelby had calmed down. Will looked down to see her eyes, red with tears, and he kissed her. Not a passionate kiss, but a comforting kiss that surely said _I'm here if you need me. _When they pulled apart she smiled at him and went back in to the choir room.

Had they turned around instead of go back inside, they would have seen a red-headed guidance counselor with tears forming. Tears that threatened to spill over and stain her perfect, porcelain face.

But they didn't.

**Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR! **

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- Heyy guys! I'm so sorry that it's taking me this long and I can explain. I have had so much homework! See I'm in all AP classes and they are not easy let me tell you. Plus on top of that I was confirmed and that was long and consuming. Then soon after I had a few difficulties with a friend and I found out some stuff I did not want to know. But enough with the excuses, I'm sorry and I hope you all will still want to read this.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer-If I owned anything, anything at all Shelby and Rachel would have a great relationship and there would be plenty of Shell.**

…

Driving up to her house, Rachel saw that her fathers were home. _Great, just what I need, _she thought. She stayed in her drive way a good ten minutes making sure that she was presentable and absolutely perfect-on the outside of course. When she opened her door, she heard her fathers in the kitchen making dinner. She called out a quick hello and ran upstairs. After a few minutes, one of her fathers, Leroy, came up.

"Rachel? What's wrong? What happened today?"

"Nothing Daddy, I'm just really tired. Glee was hectic today and I just need to relax." Rachel replied. No need to worry her fathers about Shelby when she wasn't even sure if Shelby would be around much longer. The way Rachel saw it was that Shelby would soon realize her mistake and then she would take off again, like the time before, and both of them would forget everything that happened. They would pretend the other didn't exist.

Leroy, on the other hand, knew that Rachel was hiding something. When did Rachel ever want to just relax? However, he decided not to pursue it. If Rachel needed them, she would come to them in her own time.

"Ok, Rachel. Dinner will be ready shortly, so just come down when you're ready."

Rachel simply nodded, however she had no intention of going downstairs and facing both of her fathers. She could barely keep herself together now much less in front of the very people that knew her better than anyone. As Leroy left the room he got a very sickly feeling. Rachel was not one to hide her emotions and now that seems to be all she is doing.

Rachel, after her father left, got off her bed and headed to the shower. All she wanted was to relax and unwind considering the day's events, she felt it absolutely necessary. However, as the shower helped ease her constricted muscles, it did not wash away the memories and the feelings the day presented her with. Rachel stayed in there until the water ran cold and finally she stepped out.

After drying her hair and her body, she laid back on her bed and grabbed her laptop, hoping for a different kind of distraction. She logged on Facebook and went through everyone's status's.

**Santana Lopez: **Can't believe that dwarf ran off again. Seriously? She needs help.

(**Mercedes Jones, Quinn Fabray, Kurt Hummel **and 2 others like this)

**Noah Puckerman: **Well at least our new coach is like a total MILF. Man she is hot! Too bad she looks taken though I wonder what she would think of what almost happened between and Berry…

**Rachel Berry wrote on Noah Puckerman's wall:** Don't even think about it Puckerman! Wipe those nasty thought out of your mind and never think of my mother like that again! Plus, you better not tell her about me and Jesse! How do you even know about that?

**Noah Puckerman wrote on Rachel Berry's wall: **Chill Berry. Just statin' the obvious;) LOL I have my ways;)

**Rachel Berry wrote on Noah Puckerman's wall: ** I swear Puckerman! You better not!

**Finn Hudson wrote on Rachel Berry's wall:** Wait, what happened between you and Jesse?

**Rachel Berry wrote on Finn Hudson's wall:** Nothing Finn. You already know. Just think really hard, please?

**Finn Hudson wrote on Rachel Berry's wall: **Ohhhhhh, I gotcha. Wait, Puck how do you know?

**Noah Puckerman wrote on Rachel Berry's wall: **Like I said. I have my ways…;)

**Finn Hudson wrote on Rachel Berry's wall: **Wait, Rach. Why is it such a bad thing that Shelby know?

**Rachel Berry wrote on Finn Hudson's wall:** Finn would you want your mother knowing what we almost do? No I don't think you would. That would be awkward not to mention embarrassing.

**Finn Hudson wrote on Rachel Berry's wall: **Oh yeah I guess that makes sense.

**Rachel Berry wrote on Finn Hudson's wall:** Yeahhh so I have to go. I have to wake up early. I love you, Finn.

**Finn Hudson wrote on Rachel Berry's wall: **I love you too, Rach

**Rachel Berry has signed off**

After putting away her laptop, she just continued to lay on her bed. She continued to think about what was coming next and although she dreaded the fact that Shelby was going to leave her again, she realized it was inevitable. As a single tear fell down Rachel's face, she knew she would get over it eventually. She had to. Rachel cried herself to sleep that night. In her dreams she faced a different reality, one that she very much enjoyed. She dreamed that Shelby had stayed, not after their reunion last year but after she was born. She dreamed of Shelby helping her in her competitions and attacking Broadway together. She dreamed that Shelby cared. However like every dream, or nightmare for that matter, you have to wake up. No matter how much you wish it was real, it's not.

…

Rachel woke up that morning precisely at six to start her mandatory, self-made workout routine. After all, she wasn't going to conquer Broadway with lazy habits and a rundown body. After her scheduled workout had been completed, she went through her closet looking for the perfect outfit and then styled her hair the way she always does. The way Finn liked it. After Rachel felt she looked complete and put together, even though on the inside she was still torn and confused like she had been since her and Shelby's goodbye last year, she went downstairs. Thank goodness for her, her fathers had already left for the day. She quickly grabbed an orange and her keys and left.

The distance between Rachel's house and McKinley High is like ten to fifteen minutes but for Rachel, who was dreading school, it took closer to twenty minutes followed by another five of Rachel just sitting in the parking lot. Eventually what broke Rachel's train of thought was a hesitant knock on her window followed by Finn's smiling face.

"Hey Rach! Come on we're going to be late." Finn said. Rachel replied with a smile and a small nod. Together they walked in McKinley High's doors, hand in hand. They stopped by Rachel's locker first followed by Finn's. Like always, Finn walked Rachel to her first class and then they parted with a quick goodbye kiss. First period went by in a blur as did second.

As Rachel walked to her third period, she honestly considered skipping. However, she though against it because she knew she would have to see Shelby later anyway due to glee club. Rachel walked in quickly and kept her head down, though all the while she could feel Shelby's eyes on her. Before long, Shelby had started their new lesson but Rachel couldn't care less. Honestly, how was she supposed to concentrate after everything that happened the following day? Rachel kept her head down the entire class time and occupied herself by drawing in her spiral and doodling in her notebook.

It seemed like forever when the bell finally rang. Rachel practically sprinted out of the room without sparing Shelby a second glance. Had she looked back she would have noticed Shelby's hurt expression that she didn't even bother covering up. Fourth and fifth period went by without a hitch and the next thing Rachel knew she was walking into the choir room getting ready for glee. She sat by Finn, like always, however she made sure they sat in the back and not anywhere near the front.

**...**

Will and Shelby walked in about ten minutes late with his arm around her, a comforting arm. Puck looked unhappy with this but nonetheless sent Rachel a smirk anyway. Will started talking about their upcoming sectionals and who would be singing what. Rachel, for once, said nothing throughout the entire talk and everyone, no matter how much they claimed they didn't like her, spared her questioning glances. Rachel, to the best of her ability, ignored these looks but it was still a struggle for her. Shelby had not said a word during the entire "practice" but she sent her own private looks towards Rachel too. _She doesn't know what to do either,_ Rachel thought. _Good, I'm glad she feels almost as bad as I did. _As much as Rachel didn't want to feel happy, she did. She was glad Shelby felt that way.

Glee concluded with nothing gained or nothing set in order for sectionals. _This was an absolute waste of my time,_ Rachel thought. As she and Finn walked out of the choir room, she heard someone call her and in all honesty, she shouldn't be surprised.

"Rachel? Can we talk?" Shelby said hesitantly, very unlike the Shelby Corcoran Rachel knew.

Rachel could only nod, not trusting her voice. She sent Finn away with a small smile and he left with nod towards Rachel and glare towards Shelby. Rachel's eyes left Finn as he rounded a corner and her eyes, now hard and cold, found Shelby.

"Ok let's talk."

**Thanks for reading guys! So I'm not sure, would you like to see Shelby's POV of what happened after Rachel left the day before or continue with the talk? I'm not sure but feedback would be great. So yeah let me know what y'all think! **

**Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- Heyy guys I know that it has been forever and longer but I hope that y'all are still with me here! I could bounce off all these excuses but I don't want to put ya'll through that. Hope y'all like this and continue to read it! BTW you may wanna read the last few chapters! Again I am very sorry!**

SHELBY'S POV:

After Rachel raced down the long corridors, ignoring the words that raced out of my mouth, Will and I went back to the choir room. The looks that the glee clubbers sent me were some that could rival with the old ones I used to give to VA; I, however, do not blame them. They are only looking out for Rachel, something I know they seldom do except in dour situations. I guess they are right, this would classify.

It didn't take long before the air, filled with hatred and regret, finally got to me and I had to announce my departure. As I began heading back to my room to gather some tests and homework that needed to be graded, I felt a hand grab my arm and I reluctantly turned around to see Finn.

"I'm not sure what you are doing here or what your plans are for Rachel but I just need to know that you are not planning on hurting her. Last year was devastating and it was really hard to watch her try to piece herself back together again. I guess I wanted to make sure that you're not going to send Rachel down that road again," Finn said with somber eyes. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. I knew Rachel had probably grieved our non-existent relationship, hell I did!, but I always figured she would move on and realize that I made my decision because I believed it was going to be for the best. Obviously I was very wrong because it hurt us both in so many ways.

"I can't tell you that I will not hurt her because I never planned on hurting her on the first place but I understand where you are coming from. All I want now is to try to get the same chance I was offered last year because now I know I am ready. Now I am ready to be not just her mother but also her mom. I hope that you can see that," I said, praying that he would believe me because every word I had spoken was the truth.

"Ok, I believe you. Just know that if you do end up sending her down that path again, there will be a group of very angry high school kids knocking at your door!" With that Finn turned around and I watched as his strangely large frame disappeared around a corner. I knew that he only had Rachel's best interest at heart and I really appreciated it because I knew of her secluded past life.

I arrived to my classroom in record timing and I quickly gathered my belongings in order before heading out to the parking lot. As I approached my car, I saw Emma coming in my direction and I realized that we had parked next to each other.

"Hey Emma," I said in order to keep up pleasantries. I knew that she was uncomfortable around me I just really wished that I knew exactly what I did wrong.

As she sent me a small smile, she replied "Hi Shelby. How was your first day?"

"It was fine except for a few heated conversations with Rachel but I guess I had it coming," I said, sighing in the process.

"Yeah well Rachel is a fragile girl and last year was tough with gaining and losing her biological mother, losing Regionals, and losing yet another boyfriend," Emma replied, speaking mostly to herself at that point because she didn't so much as notice that I tensed up half way through her sentence.

"Yeah Will mentioned how much more fragile she was last year but I don't know. She sees to have changed in that regard, which saddens me because I know I brought out that change."

Emma seemed to have remembered that I was there because as soon as I said "Will" she plastered on a fake smile and quickly said that she had to meet someone and was already running late. Confused, I said a quick goodbye and climbed into my car. I really needed to ask Will what was up with her.

It didn't take long before I pulled into my driveway and went through the motions of locking the door behind me, checking the answering machine, and then pulling out some food and a bottle of wine. Tonight I would need it. While the oven began to cook the pizza, I ran upstairs to take a quick shower. However, my plans drastically changed when I felt the warm water run down my skin, massaging out the knots I had formed from today alone. When the water ran cold, I stepped out and began changing into my pajamas, the same pjs I have had since college I might add! After I had finished all the necessities of maintaining a good hygiene, I went down stairs to fill my empty belly. I, myself, am a fantastic multi-tasker so I did what any normal high school teacher would do on week nights with no one to come home to, I sat in front of my TV with my food and some papers that needed to be graded.

I felt myself go through the motions and because I dislike half-assing my way through high school papers, that desperately need to contain grammatical structures that are both used correctly and right, I decided to turn in early. But not before I logged on to FaceBook to see what exactly my daughter was up to. What? I had to keep up with her some way or another. Quickly reading through her wall posts, I caught sight of Puck's post and quickly made a mental note about asking either Puck or Rachel what the hell he was referring to when he mentioned Jesse. Jesse wouldn't try anything with Rachel, right? Afterwards, I shut down my computer and went to my bed and crawled under the cool sheets. However, right when I was about to drift off to the land full of pleasant dreams, I received a text from Will.

After, staring at it for a few moments allowing my eyes finally focus and I realized it said: _Hey don't worry about today! It was only your first day and I'm sure once you and Rachel sit down and talk about things, everything will get better. Sleep well and I'll see you tomorrow! _You quickly respond with: _Thanks and I am sure you're right. Thanks for all the support today and I'll see you tomorrow! Goodnight Will. _Putting my phone on silent and on my nightstand, I finally allowed myself to enter dreamland.

…

I awoke to the sound of an alarm clock blaring that annoying little sound and although I would have preferred staying in bed all day, I knew I couldn't. Reluctantly, I got up and washed my face, hoping to wake myself up. Afterwards, I quickly decided what I wanted to wear and changed into a purple flowy top with a tight black pencil skirt that reached just above my knees with some black heels. Feeling ready and satisfied, I went downstairs, grabbed an orange and left. I knew that I would be early to school but I simply didn't care. I did not want to be stuck in an empty house with nothing to do. It was times like these that I really regret not going through with my engagement and having more kids, but that's not the way my life turned out so I try not to dwell on it too much.

When I got to my classroom, it was only 8:10 so I decided to keep grading some of the papers that I had but I got bored very quickly and just gave up. I mostly spent my time thinking, thinking about what I would say to Rachel when I would see her later today. In truth, I was scared. I had no idea where to begin and what exactly to say that would somehow make everything better again. I knew it would be so much easier if I had never come back and had kept being "grateful for one another from afar," but that was not what I really wanted and I knew deep down Rachel didn't want that either.

Before I knew it, the bell rang and classes began. It didn't take long for first and second period to be over and done with and as the warning bell rang for third period, I wondered if she would show. I knew she would because, like me, she would never want to mess up a perfect attendance record. Rachel walked in right as the tardy bell rang and although I tried to catch her eyes, I proved to be unsuccessful. That remained till the end of class. I caught Rachel doodling in her notebook but I didn't bring it to the attention of the class because I knew Rachel was still upset and I didn't want to make her more upset. When the bell rang, signaling the end of third period, I tried to grab Rachel but she quickly made her way out and I soon lost her in the sea of high school teenagers. I knew I would have another chance later, after glee rehearsal, but I was really hoping in catching her early on.

The rest of the day went by in a flash and soon glee was about to start. I made my way to the teacher's lounge to grab something to drink when I ran into Will. He smiled his cute smile, complete with dimples, and I made my way towards him.

"Hey Shelby!"

"Hey Will. Ready for glee?" I asked, just happy to be having a conversation that wasn't plagued with teenagers and their very short list of vocabulary.

He laughed and said, "I think the question is, are you ready for glee? Have you talked to Rachel today?"

We started walking to the choir room and I responded, "No. She didn't look at me at all during third period and when it was over it was like she couldn't get out of there fast enough. I just hope she lets me talk to her after glee club is over."

As we walked into the choir room, Will gave me a side hug and began the lesson when he realized all pairs of eyes were on us. Rehearsal was fairly boring, with virtually no input from Rachel. That didn't stop many glances to be thrown her way, including some from me. I knew that nothing productive was really going to be accomplished considering many of the students were still tense with the whole new addition to their team. Will, obviously guessing that something was wrong, ended glee early. Everyone soon gathered their belongings and started to head out for the day. I saw Rachel walk away with Finn and with one last smile from Will, I went after them.

It didn't take long for me to catch up to them but when I did I hesitantly said, "Rachel? Can we talk?"

She nodded and quickly sent a smile towards Finn, who in turn glared at me as he walked away. After he had disappeared, Rachel turned to me with eyes now cold and hard and said, "Ok, let's talk."

**Again I'm so sorry to all of those that are still reading and although I can't promise frequent updates, I will try to do a lot better than I have been! I really hope you like this chapter and that you'll stick around to see what happens with Rachel and Shelby!**

**Oh and please drop a review down! They literally mean the world to me! **

**Love you guys,**

**Morgan3**


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